Barcelona have been searching for a new boss since Luis Enrique announced in March that this would be his final season at the helm, with his last game in charge being Saturday’s 3-1 Copa del Rey victory over Alaves. Club President Josep Maria Bartomeu said after the match that there would be a board meeting on Monday afternoon where he will “examine the options and announce who will be our next coach”.
Since Enrique’s announcement, the rumor mill has been busy linking various names to the Barca job, most notably Sevilla boss Jorge Sampaoli and Enrique’s assistant Juan Carlos Unzue. However, both have been ruled out with the former poised to take over the Argentina national team and the latter just announced as the new Celta Vigo coach.
The Copa del Rey victory was the ninth trophy Barcelona had won during the 47-year-old Enrique’s three years as manager, which included league and cup doubles in 2015 and 2016. Barca were unable to make it a hat-trick of doubles this season as they finished runners-up in La Liga to Real Madrid, while in the Champions League they were knocked out at the quarter-final stage by Juventus. But with a squad laden with talent and expectations high among fans and management, the most recent season providing a single trophy is seen as somewhat of a disappointment among the Barca faithful.
Ernesto Valverde, who left Athletic Bilbao after four years in charge last week, has been lined up as the new manager of the Blaugrana. The appointment of the 53-year-old will follow Barca’s recent trend of hiring former players. Valverde won the Cup Winners’ Cup and Copa del Rey in his two seasons at the Camp Nou from 1988 to 1990. His managerial experience of 15 years includes having taken charge of Athletic Bilbao twice, as well as stints with Espanyol, Villarreal and Valencia in La Liga. Valverde has also been at the helm of Greek giant Olympiakos.
While finishing the La Liga season in second place only three points behind Real Madrid in their most recent campaign, Barca is not without weaknesses that need to be addressed. The club tried to bulk up its midfield in 2016 by signing Andre Gomes and Denis Suarez. But the team struggled to dictate matches when veteran Andres Iniesta was off the pitch, leaving 2017 Golden Boot winner Lionel Messi to fill the playmaking role. If the Barcelona of old is to be the Barcelona of the future, its coach must get more from its other under-performing midfielders to provide support to 33-year-old Iniesta, as well as to develop the next playmaker.
Another problem is that the steady stream of talent that once flowed from Barcelona’s La Masia training academy into its first team dried up under former manager Enrique. The only homegrown player to earn a starting role under Enrique was Sergi Roberto, a midfielder converted to right-back. Rafinha remains a reserve after returning from Celta Vigo, while Pedro Rodriguez and youngsters Munir El Haddadi and Sandro Ramirez left the squad to find playing time elsewhere. The academy that has produced current figures Messi, Iniesta, Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets needs to reclaim its prominence if Barcelona is to remain a long-term football powerhouse.
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